Polls & Research
Archive Search
Canadians Reject Infidelity, Polygamy and Cloning
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A large proportion of Canadians believe certain specific social behaviours are morally acceptable, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion published in Maclean’s. At least 79 per cent of respondents feel this way about contraception, sexual relations between an unmarried man and woman, divorce, and having a baby outside of marriage.
In addition, at least half of respondents think medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos, abortion, sexual relations between two people of the same sex, doctor-assisted suicide, gambling, buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur and the death penalty are morally acceptable.
Less than 20 per cent of respondents believe married men and/or women having an affair, polygamy, cloning humans and paedophilia are morally acceptable.
Since 2007, the proportion of Canadians who find same-sex relations morally acceptable has increased by seven points.
In 1967, Canadian justice minister Pierre Trudeau presented a bill to partially liberalize abortion. On the same bill, Trudeau urged for the legalization of homosexuality and contraception, saying, "The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation." The bill was signed into law in 1969, when Trudeau was prime minister.
In January 1988, Canada’s Supreme Court ruled—on an appeal filed by pro-abortion advocate Henry Morgentaler—that Canada’s abortion law was unconstitutional. Abortion is now legal in Canada with no limitation on when to perform it.
In July 1976, the House of Commons passed Bill C-84, which abolished the death penalty in the country. In July 2005, Canada legalized same-sex marriage.
Earlier this month, former Olympic swimming champion Mark Tewksbury—who was the first Canadian athlete to willingly disclose his sexual orientation while still competing—discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "Ultimately change will come (...) from the people who can create the environment for progress to happen. (...) This issue, and others that make people feel uncomfortable at times, exists."
Polling Data
Regardless of whether or not you think each of the following issues should be legal, please indicate whether you personally believe they are morally acceptable or morally wrong. - "Morally acceptable" listed
|
2009 |
2007 |
|
|
Contraception |
93% |
93% |
|
Sexual relations between an unmarried man and woman |
87% |
81% |
|
Divorce |
84% |
83% |
|
Having a baby outside of marriage |
79% |
77% |
|
Medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos |
69% |
64% |
|
Abortion |
66% |
61% |
|
Sexual relations between two people of the same sex |
66% |
59% |
|
Doctor-assisted suicide |
65% |
62% |
|
Gambling |
62% |
61% |
|
Buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur |
53% |
51% |
|
The death penalty |
53% |
47% |
|
Medical testing on animals |
44% |
40% |
|
Prostitution |
42% |
36% |
|
Pornography |
41% |
38% |
|
Suicide |
28% |
25% |
|
Cloning animals |
27% |
29% |
|
Using illegal drugs |
25% |
20% |
|
Married men and/or women having an affair |
15% |
17% |
|
Polygamy, when one husband has more than one wife at the same time |
12% |
10% |
|
Cloning humans |
11% |
11% |
|
Paedophilia |
1% |
1% |
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion / Maclean’s
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,003 Canadian adults, conducted on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
